Terms Used In South Carolina Code 9-18-80

  • Alternate payee: means a spouse or former spouse of a member or retired member who is recognized by a domestic relations order as having a right to receive all or a portion of the benefits payable by a retirement system with respect to such member or retired member. See South Carolina Code 9-18-10
  • Domestic relations order: means any judgement, decree, or order, including approval of a property settlement agreement, which relates to the provision of alimony payments or marital property rights to a spouse or former spouse of a member or retired member, and is made pursuant to a domestic relations law, including a law of this State or of another state. See South Carolina Code 9-18-10
  • Member: means any person included in the membership of the retirement system. See South Carolina Code 9-18-10
  • Qualified domestic relations order: means a domestic relations order which creates or recognizes the existence of an alternate payee's right, or assigns to an alternate payee the right, to receive all or a portion of a benefit payable with respect to a member or retired member under a retirement system, which directs that retirement system to disburse benefits to the alternate payee, and which meets the requirements of this chapter. See South Carolina Code 9-18-10
  • system: means the South Carolina Retirement System, Retirement System for Judges and Solicitors of the State of South Carolina, Retirement System for Members of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina, or South Carolina Police Officers Retirement System. See South Carolina Code 9-18-10
If a member terminates membership in a retirement system by withdrawal of contributions, the retirement system shall pay all or a portion of the amount withdrawn to any alternate payee as directed by a qualified domestic relations order. Any qualified domestic relations order previously accepted with respect to the member’s benefits under that system is thereafter void. If the former member later resumes membership in the retirement system, no portion of any benefits subsequently payable on account of the member must be paid to the alternate payee, even if those benefits result in part from reinstatement of service credit initially credited during the marriage, unless the retirement system receives a qualified domestic relations order specifically requiring it to make the payments to the alternate payee.